Cannabis Use Associated with 53% Lower Mortality in Hospitalized Chronic Pancreatitis Patients

Cannabis use was associated with decreased odds of mortality (aOR 0.47, p<0.001), DVT (aOR 0.71, p<0.001), pulmonary embolism (aOR 0.622, p=0.002), ICU admission (aOR 0.705, p<0.001), and pancreatic cancer (aOR 0.730, p=0.021). No differences in AKI, sepsis, or acute pancreatitis between groups.

Retrospective analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2016-2020). 907,790 chronic pancreatitis patients identified, 52,360 (5.8%) cannabis users. Multivariate logistic regression adjusted for confounding factors.

Cannabis has known anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. This large database study suggests cannabis use may be associated with reduced disease severity in chronic pancreatitis, though confounding factors make causal interpretation difficult.

The dramatically lower mortality (53% reduction) is striking but may reflect healthy user bias, age differences, or unmeasured confounders. Cannabis users in administrative databases tend to be younger and may have fewer comorbidities. These associations should be considered hypothesis-generating.

Administrative database with coding limitations. Cannabis use likely underreported. Healthy user bias probable. Cannot determine causation. No data on dose, frequency, or type of cannabis. Unmeasured confounders likely.